Mayo Clinic In the News Highlights

By Karl W Oestreich

Mayo Clinic in the News is a weekly highlights summary of major media coverage. If you would like to be added to the weekly distribution list, send a note toLaura Wuotila with this subject line: SUBSCRIBE to Mayo Clinic in the News. Thank you.

Victor Montori, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., talks about the “work of being a patient,” which involves more than keeping up with one’s medications. Patients must also educate themselves about the health care they need, said Dr. Montori, who is also lead investigator of the clinic’s Knowledge and Evaluation Research Unit, which seeks ways to adapt care for individual patient’s needs.

Context:Victor Montori, M.D., is a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist. Dr. Montori is interested in how knowledge is produced, disseminated and taken up in practice — and how this leads to optimal health care delivery and patient outcomes. More about his research can be found here.

…Minute for minute, using an elliptical machine is likely to burn more calories than walking. According to recent estimates by the Mayo Clinic, a 160-pound person using an elliptical machine for an hour would burn 365 calories. The same person walking for an hour would burn 314 calories. (If that person used a stair-stepping machine, he or she would burn 657 calories, by the Mayo calculations.)

Reach:The New York Times has a daily circulation of nearly 649,000 and a Sunday circulation of 1.18 million.

Move more, sit less… Every week, get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and two or more days of strength training that hits each muscle group. And keep this in mind: Adults who sit for more than 11 hours a day have a 12 percent increased risk of dying prematurely. “Standing or, better yet, moving should be your default mode whenever possible,” says James Levine, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Context:James Levine, M.D., Ph.D. is a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist. Dr. Levine currently serves as a principal investigator for National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded studies focused on improving health for immigrant families through increased activity and better nutrition, interactions between sleep and obesity, and multilevel approaches to reduce obesity in working mothers and their children. More about Dr. Levine's research can be found here.

A provocative commentary this month in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings has drawn national media attention toward the high cost of cancer drugs. Mayo Clinic hematologist Dr. Vincent Rajkumar said he knew that the 118-signature petition calling for cheaper cancer drugs would attract attention, but he could not have prepared for what awaited him as he returned to the U.S. a week after the story broke.

Reach: The Post-Bulletin has a weekend readership of nearly 45,000 people and daily readership of more than 41,000 people. The newspaper serves Rochester, Minn., and southeast Minnesota.

Context: A group of 118 of the nation's leading cancer experts have drafted a prescription for reducing the high cost of cancer drugs and voiced support for a patient-based grassroots movement demanding action on the issue. Their recommendations and support are outlined in a commentary, co-authored by the group, in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. "High cancer drug prices are affecting the care of patients with cancer and our health care system," says lead author Ayalew Tefferi, M.D., a hematologist at Mayo Clinic. "The average gross household income in the U.S. is about $52,000 per year. For an insured patient with cancer who needs a drug that costs $120,000 per year, the out-of-pocket expenses could be as much as $25,000 to $30,000 – more than half their average household income." More information can be found on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Since the Jets drafted him with the fourth overall pick of the 2006 NFL Draft, D’Brickashaw Ferguson hasn’t missed a snap for the team, starting in 144 straight games at left tackle…In an effort to understand how an NFL player eats his way into playing shape during training camp, we asked Ferguson and a nutrition specialist, Luke Corey of the Mayo Clinic, to analyze his diet. According to the clinic, Corey is an “expert in sports nutrition, weight management and general wellness.”

USA TODAY — NASCAR's Keselowski reveals scare with infant daughter by Steve Schrader…"After going through everything, the ENT gave Scarlett a fatal diagnosis," he wrote. "Eventually, she was going to stop being able to breathe and eat. She wasn't going to make it…It's fair to say that those hours were among the worst in my life and Paige's. As a parent, this was pretty much your worst nightmare. We went into full freak-out mode." But they didn't give up. They contacted more doctors and, eventually, the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, "which is kind of the official hospital of a lot of people at Penske Corporation."… I thought about how lucky we were for the doctors at the Mayo Clinic, and that we had gotten there in time for the surgery. The whole thing was an incredible emotional roller coaster." Additional coverage: Washington Post; NASCAR, NBC Sports

USA Today— Brain-eating amoeba did not cause Minn. teen's death by Mary Bowerman — The organism enters the brain through the nasal cavity, typically from jumping or diving into water, according to Jessica Sheehy, a physician assistant and infectious diseases specialist at Mayo Clinic Health System. "You have to have water go up into your nose to get an amoeba, drinking [contaminated] water does not cause an amoeba," she said.

Bloomberg — How to Protect Yourself From Junk Food Science by John Tozzi — Does aspartame cause cancer? You’ve probably heard that it might. And PepsiCo removing the artificial sweetener from Diet Pepsi suggests there’s something iffy about it…Science is a process that accumulates evidence over time. “Sometimes people will take a study in rats or even in test tube data and extrapolate it to humans,” says Don Hensrud, director of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living program.

Huffington Post— David Beckham Puts The Daily Mail In Its Place Over Parenting Article by Maxwell Strachan — For those interested, the Mayo Clinic also has additional pros and cons on its website for parents deciding whether to use a pacifier. But suffice it to say there is no one correct answer. It’s just a matter of what works for the parents. Parents like the Beckhams. Additional coverage: The Washington Post

Huffington Post— The Neuroscience Behind Competitive Edge by Don Joseph Goewey — There are two brain scans from the Mayo Clinic that show the impact of stress and depression on brain function. One scan shows a dimly lit brain beleaguered brain. The other shows a brain functioning at optimum, lit up and pulsing with activity. The scan of optimal brain function looks like the massive networks of light you see when flying on a dark night over a metropolis like New York, while the stressed brain looks like the dim lights you see scattered here and there as you fly over Nebraska's farmland.

The Guardian— Coca-Cola says its drinks don't cause obesity.Science says otherwise by Marion Nestle...But it is also pours millions into convincing researchers and health professionals to view sodas as benign. Just last month, the Mayo Clinic Proceedings published a study arguing that the results of national dietary surveys, such as those that link sugary drinks to type-2 diabetes, are so flawed that they constitute a major misuse of public funds. The authors report honoraria, speaking and consulting fees from Coca-Cola.

Vice— Alex Rodriguez and Justin Gatlin are having unbelievable summers by Greg Couch – Michael Joyner, a human performance expert at the Mayo Clinic, agrees: "I think they need to consider longer bans." Joyner said that steroid use leads to "adaptations" in your cells, and if a former steroid user starts working out again years after doping, those workouts could "re-awaken" those adaptations. He equated it to weightlifters who know that they can reach a certain strength level, take ample time off for, say, an injury, and then come back and reach the same level again far more quickly than they did before.

Forbes — Bill George: His View On The Next Generation Of Leaders by Dan Schawbel — Leaders I spoke to Bill George, who is a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Business School and former chairman and CEO of Medtronic, the world’s leading medical technology company. Bill spoke about the latest update to his bestselling book called “Discover Your True North“, gives examples of successful leaders, explains the leadership qualities of the next generation of leaders and more. Bill is a board member of Goldman Sachs, Exxon, and the Mayo Clinic.

Forbes— Why This Is The Hardest Of Times To Be A Physician In America by Robert Pearl, M.D…So what can be done? Already there are organizations like the Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente and Geisenger Clinic that have overcome many of these problems and improved the lives of both patients and physicians as a result. But much more needs to happen at the national level. This will be the focus of part 3 of this series.

ESPN— Justin Turner details his scary infection by Mark Saxon – The MRSA bacteria typically remain confined to the skin, but they can also burrow deep into the body and cause life-threatening infections in bones, joints, the bloodstream, heart valves or lungs, according to the Mayo Clinic Web site.

Harpars Bazaar magazine —Is your office Making you Overweight?... "Your body isn't built to sit," says James Levine, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, and a leading advocate of the treadmill desk. "When you sit for a long time, the receptors on the muscles in your body that are inactive – lower back, buttocks and legs, torso, abdominals, shoulders, and arms – start to change and become more resistant to insulin, causing blood sugar and triglyceride levels to rise."

CNN — Stand up, sit less and move more, researchers say; here's how to do it by Carina Storrs — You might want to stand up for this. A growing amount of research suggests that just standing -- even if you don't walk around -- can have health benefits….Although the research has been pretty clear that there are health benefits to not sitting, we are just starting to understand that standing alone may be a good alternative, said Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, Diirector of preventive cardiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Lopez-Jimenez wrote an editorial that accompanied the study in the European Heart Journal.

Star Tribune — Eye motion test shows promise for concussion detection by Jeremy Olson…Several states, including Minnesota, have responded with laws clarifying when athletes should be removed from play. But a lack of precise tests has made it hard for doctors, coaches and trainers to know for sure when collisions have caused brain injuries that require a player to be benched. “The science hasn’t been able to keep up with the … explosion of awareness around the dangers of concussions,” said Dr. David Dodick, director of the Mayo Clinic’s concussion clinic in Arizona, “The diagnosis of concussion on any sideline is very subjective. It basically depends on the athlete reporting symptoms.”

People magazine — Heroes Among Us: Todd Blake Helps Fellow Young Adult Cancer Patients Find Adventure Through Life-Changing Experiences: 'You Learn What it Truly Means to Live'…Blake and his wife, Maja, who now works as a clinical trial coordinator for Jacksonville's Mayo Clinic, are also sharing new adventures of their own, including a recent 12-hour, 22-kilometer mountain climb in Norway.

WWLP (CNN) — How to help ensure accurate blood sugar measurements by Holly Firfer…To measure glucose, diabetics put a drop of blood on a testing strip and insert it into a glucose meter that reads the sugar levels in that blood. But if those strips have been compromised, the reading could be off. Rose Mader, a Diabetes Educator from the Mayo Clinic, said, “All of the strips have an expiration date on them. So you look on the vial of strips and see what the expiration date is. They all need to be stored in that container that they came in, because there’s a dry agent to keep them from getting too moist, and they can’t be frozen, they can’t be too hot, they can’t be left open” Additional coverage:WSYX Columbus Ohio (CNN), WSLS Roanoke, Va., KSPR Springfield, Mo.

Austin Daily Herald — Bennett tours Mayo Clinic Health Connection kiosk by Alex Smith — Enclosed in a bright blue room and surrounded by various medical equipment, state Rep. Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea, sat excitedly as a face on a computer screen guided her through what a normal check up would be like using one of the Mayo Clinic Health Connection kiosks. She had her ears checked, blood pressure taken and heart listened to while a staged health provider examined her from several rooms away via video connection. “I love technology, so this is so cool to me,” Bennett said. Additional coverage:Albert Lea Tribune

Post-Bulletin — UnitedHealth points patients to Mayo by Jeff Kiger — Two Minnesota health-care giants, Mayo Clinic and UnitedHealth Group, are joining forces to bring thousands of new patients to Rochester and other Mayo sites for treatment. The Eden Prairie-based insurance provider UnitedHealth announced today it will recommend that patients with certain conditions travel to Mayo Clinic for care, through UnitedHealth's Optum Centers of Excellence Program.

Modern Healthcare — IBM's $1B deal for Merge intended to feed imaging to Watson's brain by Joseph Conn — Global computing powerhouse IBM plans to acquire Chicago-based Merge Healthcare for $1 billion, a clear sign that IBM wants to grow its healthcare footprint further through its Watson technology. Merge, a publicly traded company that makes the technology behind medical imaging systems, will be bought out for $7.13 per share. …Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., has teamed with IBM to use Watson in a pilot project this year to identify cancer patients for appropriate clinical trials.

Hudson Valley Press N.Y. — Summer Heat Can Be Hard on Your Heart — Whatever brings you outside this summer— a bike ride with friends, a jog in the park or just a stroll around the block — it’s important to stay safe when the temperature rises, warns the American Heart Association. If you’re a heart patient, older than 50 or overweight, you might need to take special precautions in the heat, according to Gerald Fletcher, M.D., professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, in Jacksonville, Florida.

Providence Journal — In documentary, R.I. filmmaker examines the mammogram by Carrie Simonelli — "The mammogram is just not a very effective screening tool for 40 percent of women," says Julie Marron, of Glocester, the writer and director of "Happygram," which premieres Saturday at the Rhode Island International Film Festival…In "Happygram," Marron looks to other methods for detecting tumors in dense tissue. The film explores the efforts of Dr. Deborah Rhodes, an internist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, who worked with a nuclear physicist to develop a new mode of screening. Called molecular breast imaging, it uses high-resolution gamma imaging to detect cancer cells regardless of breast density.

Dunn County News — Classes help caregivers and those with chronic conditions increase well-being and decrease stress — Judy Abel of Menomonie says she has struggled most of her life with chronic conditions, such as allergies, asthma and osteoarthritis. The 73-year-old found support in her family, her faith — and classes provided by Mayo Clinic Health System.

Healio Cardiology Today — LVADs can benefit patients with restrictive cardiomyopathy — Patients with restrictive cardiomyopathy have poor prognosis because of impaired ventricular filling, among other factors, according to a new study published in the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. Researchers evaluated outcomes for patients with end-stage restrictive cardiomyopathy who received LVADs and aimed to determine which factors might play a role in improved survival…The mean hospitalization time was 29 days, and the most common complication was right ventricular failure, Sudhir S. Kushwaha, MD, medical director of cardiac transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Mayo Clinic, and colleagues reported.

News9 Okla.— Edmond Man Endures Pain As Doctors Try To Solve Medical Mystery — An Edmond man on a painful journey is searching for answers to his medical mystery. Brian Allen suddenly came down with a rare disease that causes a terrible rash on his face and dangerous fainting spells. He opened up about his desperate search for a diagnosis…Doctors all told Allen to go to the Mayo Clinic, which is why he started a fundraising page. Even with insurance, he is already responsible for more than $7,000 in medical bills.

KAAL — Wedding Ring Lost at Mayo Returned after 25 Years by Megan Stewart — A ring that disappeared more than 25 years ago inside a patient room at Mayo Clinic’s Methodist Hospital has finally been returned. Linda Matti says the ring slipped off her husband’s – Laird, or Larry, for short - finger while he was a patient at the hospital. “We looked all over for it, couldn't find it,” Matti said. Additional Coverage:Yahoo! (ABC News), ABC News

Sporting News — Brad Keselowski's infant daughter recovering from life-saving emergency surgery by Hoe Rodgers — Brad Keselowski's infant daughter, Scarlett, was given a terminal diagnosis that required a life-saving surgery in June, less than a month after her birth, the Team Penske driver said in a blog post Wednesday…Quickly after hearing the grim prognosis, Keselowski and his girlfriend, Paige White, traveled with Scarlett to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where doctors diagnosed Scarlett with a severe case of laryngomalacia, a weakness in the muscles of the throat. The doctors were able to save her life through an emergency surgery, which they performed the day after the diagnosis.

WDAY (KSTP TV) — First Proton Therapy Patient Finishes Treatment at New Mayo Facility by Katherine Johnson — The first Mayo Clinic patient to receive proton beam therapy in Minnesota finished her treatments Monday morning. Twenty-three-year-old Jessica Brenholt was the first person to receive the treatments for her brain tumor at Mayo's new Proton Center.

Waterbury Republican American (Star Tribune) — Senior athletes stay in game by Allie Shah — Tom Langenfeld can't jump as high as he used to when he was a college student competing in track and field meets, but that hasn't curbed the 80-year-old's enthusiasm for the sport…"There's clearly a slowing down," said Tom Allison, director of the Mayo Clinic's Sports Cardiology Clinic and an associate professor of medicine. "You can't perform at the same level," he said. "I see patients every day who say, 'I think there's something wrong with my heart. I can't keep up.' The first thing I say to them is: 'How old are the people you're playing with?' "

KARE11 — Minnesota couple brings joy with 'glads' by Boyd Huppert — For Barb Meyer, the only thing prettier than a field of gladiolus is watching them disappear down a hospital hallway. Each summer Barb and her husband John distribute hundreds of gladiolus bouquets they cut from a four-and-a-half acre plot surrounded by corn and soybeans on their farm near Elgin. The majority of the glads are delivered by the Meyers to St. Mary's Hospital at the Mayo Clinic and other patient facilities in and around Rochester.

Yumanewsnow — Multivitamins and Supplements: To Take or Not to Take? by Micah Dorfner — "People ask me this question quite often: 'Should I be taking certain vitamins and supplements?' And the answer is, quite honestly, 'It depends,'" says Anne Harguth, registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic Health System. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you should meet your nutritional needs primarily through diet.

Leader-Telegram — Half Moon Dragon Boat Festival: Biggest drumbeat is for hospice by Pamela Powers — Directed by the sound of a beating drum, an epic adventure took place Saturday in Eau Claire as paddlers took to Half Moon Lake racing dragon boats to benefit Mayo Clinic Health System hospice services. On a couple of teams, some paddlers dressed in togas, others in ’80s rock attire, as they worked together to race the colorful, long Hong Kong-style boats. There were 20 team members paddling to a boat and one drummer. A steersperson was provided for each team that raced the 250-meter course of the inaugural Half Moon Dragon Boat Festival.

Star Tribune — Minnesota health care providers urge universal screening for HIV by Glenn Howatt — In an effort to reduce AIDS deaths and prevent new infections, Minnesota’s largest health care providers are rewriting the rules on who should get screened for HIV…HealthPartners and the Mayo Clinic have already begun testing a broader group of patients, and other clinic groups are expected to join in coming months, after several influential blue-ribbon medical panels recommended new guidelines. “We need a new strategy since it is extraordinarily difficult to identify who is high-risk,” said Dr. John Wilkinson, a family practice doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. “There is a lot of HIV everywhere, relatively speaking, and it is going undetected.”

MedPage Today — Amyloid Predicts Cognitive Decline in Genetic Alzheimer's by Kristina Fiore — A greater burden of amyloid plaque in the brain predicts cognitive decline in patients with genetic forms of Alzheimer's disease, researchers reported.…But editorialist David Knopman, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, warned that genetic forms of Alzheimer's disease -- caused by mutations in the APP, PSEN1, or PSEN2 genes -- may not be an exact model for sporadic Alzheimer's (spAD), which accounts for a far greater proportion of the disease burden in the U.S.

Star Tribune — Minnesota's largest hospital systems saw big jump in 2014 income by Christopher Snowbeck — Income surged in 2014 at Minnesota’s biggest hospital operators. As a group, 10 of the largest hospital systems in Minnesota saw operating income jump by 38 percent in fiscal 2014 compared with the previous year, according to a Star Tribune analysis…The tally does not include the Rochester-based Mayo Clinic, which accounts for income differently than other hospital systems in the state. Earlier this year, Mayo Clinic reported record income of $834 million on $9.7 billion in revenue in 2014, a 36 percent jump in income over the ­previous year.

Hindustan Times — Patient rush at PGI baffles doctors from United States by Vishav Bharti — A delegation of prominent doctors from different hospitals in the United States, who visited the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, found the Emergency ward of the institute like a “madly crowded railway station”…“A PGI physician told me that he examined at least 100 patients daily and on some days the number could go up to 300. In Minnesota, I complain if I have to see 20 patients in a day,” wrote another delegate, who works for Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, one of the most prestigious health institutes in the world.

New York Times —Medicare, Reversing Itself, Will Pay More for an Expensive New Cancer Drug by Robert Pear ­— More than 100 oncologists from cancer hospitals around the country recently issued a manifesto decrying the prices of new drugs.“Effective new cancer therapies are being developed by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies at a faster rate than ever before,” they said in a commentary in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings. But, they added, “the current pricing system is unsustainable and not affordable for many patients.”

Post Bulletin — Heard on the Street: TapImmune using Mayo Clinic technology by Mike Klein — Seattle-based TapImmune Inc. has exercised its option agreement with Mayo Clinic to use its technology in a possible vaccine for certain types of cancer, it announced. TapImmune signed a worldwide exclusive license agreement to commercialize a "proprietary folate receptor alpha vaccine technology for all cancer indications." This technology, developed in the laboratory of Keith Knutson at Mayo, has successfully completed Phase I clinical trials in ovarian and triple-negative breast cancer.

Medscape — Sepsis: Early Warning Score Warns, but Can Physicians Act? by Lara C. Pullen — He explained that the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota has a sepsis response team that responds to electronic data. Smaller hospitals, however, may not have the physicians available to respond to warnings triggered by real-time data. Although Dr Sasidhar believes that the future of medicine includes the evaluation of real-time electronic health records, right now the question remains, "When we have these sort of real time results, how do we respond to them?"

WEAU — Half Moon Dragon Boat Festival raises $150K for hospice care by Abigail Hantke — About $150,000 was raised at Saturday's Half Moon Dragon Boat Festival in Eau Claire, according to Mayo Clinic Health System's Anna Sizer. Sizer says an official dollar amount will be announced Monday. A total of 33 teams signed up for the inaugural event on Half Moon Lake. Organizers say they plan to bring the race back next year, with the hope of having 50 teams. Proceeds go to support hospice care and bereavement services.

Decorah News — WMC RENEWS ITS AGREEMENT WITH MAYO HEALTH SYSTEMS THROUGH 2020 — Winneshiek Medical Center will remain affiliated with Mayo Clinic Health System Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse for at least another five years. The hospital 's board last month gave tentative approval to a renewal of their contract with Mayo. Now hospital officials say the agreement has been signed by Mayo Clinic Health System Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse and all details have been worked out.

EmpowHer —Concerned about Teenage Depression? Watch for These Signs by Stacy Lloyd — Be alert for teens who are having feelings of guilt, worthlessness, fixation on past failures, or inflated self-blame or self-criticism, advises the Mayo Clinic. Depressed teens can be extremely sensitive to failure or rejection, and may need more than what might be considered a normal amount of reassurance.

Cambio —Planned Parenthood Launches App for At-Home STD Testing by Liz Pochop — In a 2014 report from Mayo Clinic (the largest, integrated nonprofit medical group practice in the world) states that while in-home test are safe to use, they have a higher chance of being inaccurate if not performed by a medical professional. One can also argue that a patient is more likely to know and seek the right treatment if the test is performed in a certified medical facility, as opposed to in the privacy of a person's home.

Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal — Minnesota cops cite Mayo, MSP airport and nuke plants in military vehicle requests by Jim Hammerand — Law enforcement agencies pointed to drug trafficking and potential incidents at high-profile Minnesota institutions in requests for armored tactical vehicles from the Pentagon, according to public documents obtained by Mother Jones ... In its armored vehicle request, Olmsted County pointed to Mayo Clinic's routine visits by "foreign heads of state and VIPs" and population growth expected from the Destination Medical Center expansion.

Philadelphia Inquirer — Greater risk for kidney stones in summer — According to Mayo Clinic nephrologist William Haley, heat, humidity and lack of proper hydration all lead to a higher prevalence of kidney stones in the summer. "The main reason is due to the amount of water we take in and use. Our bodies are made up of mostly water and we use it regularly. But in the heat, we may not be drinking as much as we should, or taking in the right types of fluids, so we become dehydrated, which can lead to more stones."

KIMT — Senator Franken makes several stops in Rochester by Adam Sallet – Later in the day, Franken visited a Mayo Clinic lab to learn about precision medicine. This program uses your DNA to match patients with the correct type of treatment. Franken also learned about the C-TECH program at Rochester Community and Technical College and how it helps students ready themselves for careers in technical fields. A new building for the C-TECH program is slated to begin construction next week.

Albuquerque Journal — Overcome roadblocks to consistent exercise — Sticking to a regular exercise schedule isn’t easy. After all, there are plenty of potential hindrances – time, boredom, injuries, self-confidence. But these issues don’t need to stand in your way. Darcy Reber, nurse practitioner at Mayo Clinic Health System in Cannon Falls, shares practical strategies for overcoming common barriers to sticking to a fitness routine.

KIMT —The community and Mayo coming together to discuss mental illness by DeeDee Stiepan — Strides have been made, however there is still a stigma surrounding the discussion of mental illness. Experts agree that they only way to get rid of that stigma, is to keep the conversation regarding mental health going. That’s exactly what happened Monday night in Rochester. Mayo Clinic’s Psychology and Psychiatry Department hosted the 6th annual “Evening to Mental Health Reflection.” It’s an opportunity for Mayo Clinic and the community to connect.

MedPage Today —The Changing Face of Medical Ed: It's All About the System by Joyce Frieden — Last week, students at the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minn., started their first block of medical training -- the school's new curriculum in the science of healthcare delivery. The curriculum will be interwoven throughout the students' 4 years at the medical school, and will include online modules created through a joint collaboration with Arizona State University, a Mayo spokesperson said.

CBS Minnesota — Health Watch: MN Health Care Providers Call For Universal HIV Screenings — Minnesota’s largest health care providers are rewriting the rules on who should get screened for HIV. Instead of limiting testing to high-risk groups, the new rules call for everyone age 18 through 64 to get tested at least once, according to the Star Tribune. Health Partners and Mayo Clinic have already begun testing a broader group of patients. Other clinic groups are expected to join in coming months.

ABC News— Flip Saunders says he has lymphoma by Brian Windhorst — "I want to thank [Wolves physician] Dr. [Sheldon] Burns as well as my medical team at Mayo Clinic for their hard work in diagnosing my situation and creating a plan to help me achieve a cancer-free outcome. I am attacking this with the same passion I do everything in my life, knowing this is a serious issue. I also know that God has prepared me to fight this battle." Saunders was diagnosed two months ago by doctors at the Mayo Clinic and immediately started treatment. He continued to work through the draft, where the Wolves used the No. 1 overall pick on Karl-Anthony Towns and traded for the rights to Tyus Jones. Additional coverage:Star Tribune

Star Tribune—Twins notes: Improving Hicks leads off by La Velle E. Neal III — Molitor said there hasn’t been a lot of contact between them in recent years, but they hit it off when they first met. He’s hoping Saunders is able to beat cancer. “He found out recently that he’s got a battle out there in front of him,” Molitor said. “I guess the good news is that it’s a fairly high success rate as far as treatable cancers. He also is fortunate he’s able to use a facility like Mayo [Clinic in Rochester]. “I’ll be thinking of him and pulling for him.”

The Washington Examiner— Scientists, researchers mum on fetal tissue research by Paige Winfield Cunningham — Mayo Clinic, one of the foremost research hospitals in the U.S. that is typically eager to supply information about endeavors at its institution, did not respond to an inquiry about the use of fetal tissue research. "Thank you for reaching out to Mayo Clinic, but we are going to pass on this one," spokeswoman Kelley Luckstein wrote in an email to the Washington Examiner.

Johns Hopkins Medicine—Johns Hopkins, Mayo Experts Suggest Upgrades to Current Heart Disease Prevention Guidelines — Acknowledging key strengths and “lessons learned,” preventive cardiologists from Johns Hopkins and Mayo Clinic have developed a short list of suggested upgrades to the controversial heart disease prevention guidelines issued jointly in 2013 by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. The recommendations, published in the Aug. 11 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, are designed, the authors say, to improve subsequent guidelines and clarify key points of confusion related to risk prediction and treatment of heart attacks and strokes

TIME—Low-T Drugs and Heart Risk: Here’s theLatest by Alexandra Sifferlin— “One of the hottest controversies in testosterone therapy is whether it’s associated with cardiovascular risks, and whether there is a higher likelihood for strokes on testosterone,” says Dr. Landon Trost, head of Male Infertility and Andrology at Mayo Clinic, who was not involved in the new study. “Testosterone therapy has a myth and promise of being the fountain of youth, and it’s exploded since 2001. Everyone is trying to address [heart risks] right now.”

Live Science — Coca-Cola Controversy: Is Exercising More or Eating Less Better for Weight Loss? by Rachael Rettner — But advice from the Mayo Clinic also supports the view that diet is more important than exercise when it comes to shedding the pounds. "Cutting calories through dietary changes seems to promote weight loss more effectively than does exercise and physical activity," Dr. Donald Hensrud wrote in a column for Mayo Clinic. "For most people, it's possible to lower their calorie intake to a greater degree than it is to burn more calories through increased exercise."

Latinos Health—Legionnaire's Disease Outbreak Facts & News: NYC Death Toll & Recorded Cases Update — Symptoms of the illness include headache, chills, fever, muscle pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, confusion, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to Mayo Clinic. If left untreated, Legionnaire's disease can be fatal. It is imperative to start treatment immediately if one has contracted the disease because in most cases, treatment will require hospitalization.

USA Today —NYC mayor says 12 dead from Legionnaires' disease by Greg Toppo — Most people exposed to legionella don't become sick. Smokers, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are more susceptible than others to Legionnaires' disease, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms include fever, chills, headaches and muscle pain, which can progress to coughing, chest pain, nausea, vomiting and difficulty breathing.

WKBT-TV La Crosse— Doctors recommend eye exams before school starts — Local doctors say there's no such thing as being too young for an eye exam. That's because so many advancements have been made in technology. A patient doesn't need to be able to read letters or numbers to get an accurate screening. "In children, they do not tell you, necessarily, their problem. If they're seeing blurry or fuzzy, they assume that all of their peers in their class are seeing the same way they do," said Dr. Steven LaLiberte, an optometrist with Mayo Clinic Health System

Buzzfeed— Doctors Cast Doubt On Viral Video Stars Sam And Nia’s Pregnancy Claims by Stephanie McNeal— Experts told BuzzFeed News that the method Sam used to administer the pregnancy test, with pee diluted in a toilet bowl, is not advisable. Sam told BuzzFeed News the couple never confirmed the pregnancy with a doctor. “I would not recommend this method,” Wendy White, M.D., a perinatologist at Mayo Clinic, told BuzzFeed News. “It would lead to false negatives, and theoretically could lead to false positives as well.”

Post-Bulletin— Ask Mayo Clinic: Double vision can often be effectively treated – DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have double vision in my right eye and can read with glasses, but distance is not very clear. What causes double vision? Is there a procedure to correct it? A number of conditions can lead to double vision. Treatment typically depends on the underlying cause. With a careful evaluation and accurate diagnosis, double vision can often be effectively treated.

Post-Bulletin— Scientists say fetal tissue essential for medical research – Mayo Clinic does not have a formal policy forbidding fetal tissue research, according to spokesperson Robert Nellis of the Mayo Clinic Department of Public Affairs. "But there is no evidence we can find that anyone is doing it either," Nellis said. "We have talked to people who work in our biobank, bioprepository oversight committee and stem cell oversight committee, both administrators and researchers. None of them are are aware of anybody doing human fetal tissue research at Mayo."

Chicago Tribune—Was Kevin White injured when Ryan Pace drafted him? by Brad Biggs – No information I have gathered leads me to believe White was pre-injured when the Bears selected him. He looked fine in rookie minicamp and at the beginning of OTAs. Shin splits, which is what coach John Fox has said you can call the injury, is defined by the Mayo Clinic as “pain along the shinbone (tibia) -- the large bone in the front of your lower leg.” The Mayo Clinic adds “shin splints often occur in athletes who have recently intensified or changed their training routines.” If that is the case, and I’m not saying it is, perhaps White’s training in advance of the draft created issues for him.

Latino’s Health— Parkinson's Disease Treatment & Cure: Liver Disease Drug May Help Patients – Parkinson's disease is a degenerative nervous system disorder that affects the body's movement. According to Mayo Clinic, it is characterized by muscular rigidity, tremors, and slow movements. There is no known cure for the disease, but certain measures can be undertaken to help manage symptoms.

Huffington Post Canada— What Using Tampons Does To Your Body by Rebecca Zamon – In the video above by DNews, the site explains what happens to your body when you insert a tampon — and perhaps more significantly, where the risk for toxic shock syndrome (TSS) comes from. While rare, this complication from streptococcus bacteria is most associated with super absorbent tampons, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Bloomberg— Destination Medical Center's Economic Development Agency Hires Experienced Economic and Community Development Leader – the DMC Economic Development Agency (EDA) today named Twin Cities' leader Patrick Seeb as its Director of Economic Development and Placemaking. He joins a newly formed team of professionals who will build Rochester as the destination for health and wellness. Seeb has served as Executive Director of the Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation for the past 20 years.

WKBT-TV La Crosse— Research shows spiritual healing programs help with cancer patient outcome by Brittany Schmidt – “The changes we see now are that people are becoming more aware because so much more research is available,” said Nickijo Hager, vice president for Mission at Mayo Health System. A new analysis published in the peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society suggests cancer patients who are more spiritual, have less anxiety and stress over their condition. “We talk about inspiring hope and nourishing the whole person,” said Hager.

MedCity News— Wearables help manage neurological disorders, predict symptoms by Neil Versel – “With this more precise information, we can often spot problems even before a patient is aware of them,” Dr. Joseph I. Sirven, a neurologist at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., and a member of the Neurology Now editorial advisory board, is quoted as saying. For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is testing a watch that may be able to predict epileptic seizures by measuring skin moisture.

WEAU La Crosse— La Crosse hospital to discontinue water births by Alyssa Kroeten – Water births will soon be discontinued by Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare. Starting September 1st, the Mayo Clinic Health System Hospital in La Crosse and Mayo providers in Tomah will no longer perform water births. Mayo says the decision comes after an opinion was issued by two reputable professional societies. Those health professionals say underwater births should only be done in the context of a clinical trial. Mayo Clinic Health System has never offered water births at its Eau Claire, Barron, or Menomonie locations. Additional coverage by La Crosse Tribune and WKBT La Crosse

WKBT-TV La Crosse— Flag flies high for organ donors by Kyle Dimke – Tracy said seeing the Donate Life flag nowadays can be tough for her, but remembering what it stands for brings back a smile to her face. "It feels good knowing that in your time of grief you can help spare someone else those feelings."…. At the Mayo Clinic in La Crosse the Donate Life flag flies year-round. The hospital said every April, which is Donate Life month, it holds a flag raising ceremony inviting all the donor's families.

KIMT— New study seeks teens suffering from depression by DeeDee Stiepan – Psychiatrists at Mayo Clinic are looking for teens at risk or suffering from depression for an upcoming research study. Dr. Paul Croarkin is a child/adolescent Psychiatrist with Mayo Clinic’s Depression Center, he spoke of a new research study at an event on Monday night hosted by the clinic. The study looks into a form of brain stimulation that’s used as a therapy for depression. Dr. Croarkin is hoping to launch the study late this year or early next year. “We’re not able to advance the field and establish new avenues of diagnosis or treatment without participants,” he explains.

KARE 11— Brain-eating amoeba did not cause Minn. teen's death by Lou Rauguse – he organism enters the brain through the nasal cavity, typically from jumping or diving into water, according to Jessica Sheehy, a physician assistant and infectious diseases specialist at Mayo Clinic Health System. "You have to have water go up into your nose to get an amoeba, drinking [contaminated] water does not cause an amoeba," she said. She says symptoms typically mirror bacterial meningitis, starting with fever, chills, headaches and a stiff neck. While the amoeba is almost always fatal, early detection is vital to treating the infection.

Fox News— How to combat athlete’s foot – As student athletes take the field this fall they may be facing more than a rival team— they may have to deal with athlete’s foot. According to the Mayo Clinic, athlete’s foot is an fungal infection that usually starts between the toes and strikes people who typically wear tight-fitting shoes, such as soccer cleats. The first sign of a problem can come in the form of a foul odor coming from your feet.

CNN— By the numbers: The massive toll of the Animas River spill by Ben Brumfield – Lead poisoning is tricky, because at low levels, it can be hard to detect. It can slow down child development and cause learning disabilities, the Mayo Clinic says. Lead is just one of the many heavy metals released, and it's not the deadliest. The wastewater also contained extremely high levels of arsenic, cadmium, beryllium and mercury. It also contained zinc, iron and copper.

Bustle— How Did Dorinda's Husband Richard Medley Die? The 'Real Housewives Of New York' Star Is Making Sure His Memory Is Not Forgotten by Kayla Hawkins – According to the Mayo Clinic, acute liver failure can develop quickly in otherwise healthy people with no preexisting liver problems, and "in many situations... a liver transplant may be the only cure." But Dorinda has not released the exact illness that Richard was suffering before his organs failed, choosing instead to keep the rest of the details private. So, instead of speculating further, I'll just leave it at that.

Bleacher Report— Baylor's King McClure Forges Inspiring Path Back from Career-Ending Heart Issue by Jason King – the McClures shared the encouraging news with Baylor's staff, who then contacted Dr. Michael Ackerman, an HCM specialist at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. It wasn't long before they'd secured McClure an appointment…. Dr. Ackerman studied the results of the tests McClure took in Waco and then repeated them. He also ran tests on McClure's parents and questioned them about their family history. HCM is believed to be hereditary, yet the McClures said their family has no history of heart problems.

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